Teaching and Travelling in Ukraine

From February to July 2001, Meg and I lived in Ternopil, Ukraine with
support
from a Fulbright lectureship. She taught ESL and I taught
computer science
at the Institutute for Computing and Information Technologies (ICIT) at
the
Ternopil Academy of National Economy (TANE). The following photos
show
some of this extraordinary experience.
Ukraine has suffered greatly since the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Below
are some sobering comparisons that characterized the severe economic
conditions
under which the Ukrainian people now live.
We did most of our shopping in the small shops in Victory Square, which
was
next door to where we lived at the Academy. The apartment
building
in the background is a "standard" Soviet design.
The Institute where we taught has an identical 5-story design.
Note
the absence of exit doors - the one exit door is in the rear of the
building.

Here is the rear of the building, with Ukrainian students waiting
between
classes.

Here is a computer lab. Technology is scarce in general, but
students
work hard and they carry the hope that conditions will improve.
All
classrooms and labs have bars on their doors, and there is a lot of
concern
for security in general.

Here is a group of students I taught. They were mostly 4th year
undergraduates
and a few graduate students in computer science. Classrooms were
sparsely
equipped, but students were very bright and highly motivated.

We visited elementary schools while we were in Ternopil. The
group
below is a 5th grade class. My host Anatoly Sachenko is standing
at
the rear of this class on the right, and his daughter Vera is a member
of
this class. Meg is standing in the rear toward the left.

We made many friends while we were living in Ternopil, many of who were
graduate
students and teachers. They invited us to many events - birthday
celebrations,
Easter family gatherings, faculty meeting, and church services.
Picnics
like the one below were common.

Since 1991, Ukrainians have experienced a religious revival. On
Sunday
mornings, so many people attend the Orthodox cathedrals that loud
speakers
broadcast the liturgy into the square. The crowd below is
typical,
and the liturgies were beautifully sung by the people from memory.

L'viv is a city about 2 hours drive from Ternopil. The Pope
visited
L'viv in the summer of 2001. The cathedral below was being
renovated
in preparation for the Pope's visit.

There are many cathedrals in Kiev, and they have been beautifully
restored.

Shevshenko is a Ukrainian hero, not only a world-class scholar but also
one
of the first to advocate for Ukrainian independence in the 19th century.

At the end of our time in Ukraine, we participated in an international
workshop
at a beautiful resort on the tip of the Crimean Peninsula. The
workshop
was organized by my host, Anatoly Sachenko, and was attended by
computer
scientists from many nations - Russia, Greece, Spain, Italy, the UK,
Poland,
the US, and many others. This was a very special time - we were
sad
to leave Ukraine and the many friends we had made there.